We were saddened to hear of the death of Walter Payton. In the
long highlight reel of this life cut short, Walter Payton will always be
a man in motion: breaking tackles, breaking records, clearing every
obstacle in his path. From the first day he donned the uniform of the
Chicago Bears, in 1975, until his retirement 13 years later, Walter
Payton missed only one game -- and that was because the coach ordered
him to rest his ankle. He followed a long line of great Bears running
backs and became the greatest of them all. The record books confirm
that. But individual triumphs would never mean as much to Walter Payton
as a victory he could share with his teammates and with the fans who
endured, season after season, the icy winds of Soldier Field. Walter
Payton would not stop running until his Bears were as great as the Bears
of old, until they had again won the Super Bowl -- which they did, in
dramatic fashion, in 1985.

Walter Payton faced his illness with the same grit and
determination that he showed every week on the football field. The
people of Chicago -- and all Americans who love the game of football --
will miss him profoundly.

We would like to offer our condolences to Walter's wife, Connie,
and to their two children, Jarrett and Brittney. Our hearts are with
them today.